Pressure-operable liquid dispensing apparatus



E. J. POITRAS ETAL PRESSURE-OPERABLE LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed March 25, 1950 Jan. l2, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. l2, 1954 E. J. Po|TRAs.E1-AL 2,665,825

PRESSURE-OPERABLE LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS` Filed March 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 C70/2 if may@ 95W, @MMMMMM Patented Jan. 12, 1954 UNITED STA`v4 T OFICE PRESSURE --OPERABLE LIQUID DISPENSIN G APPARATUS Edward J Poitras, Holliston, and John F. Templin, West Newton, Mass.

Application March 25;, 1950, Serial No. 151,888

3 Claims.

The several novel features and advantages oi y our invention will' more fully appear vfrom the following description taken `in connection with the accompanying drawings of one illustrative embodiment, in which;

Fig. 1 shows the apparatus as a Whole, with .the dispenser proper in vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding view o n a larger scale oi the ejector unit oi Fig. 1, with the parts in snotfdeliverine position;

Figure 3 is a top plan, on a reduced scale,r ,oiV the liquid vessel with the delivery end of the dispensins tube broken away;

Fig. 4 is a top plan of the pressure initiator; and

Fig. 5 is a partial section asv on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showing an air inletting check valve in normal closed position.

Liquid soap and similar dispensers have here? tofore been characterized by a tendency to dis.- pense varying uncontrolledvolumes, often in ex.- cessive amounts. Excessive drip or discharge for anr indefinite period after use, resulting in wasteful and unsightly residue, has been commonparticularly where uids of'relatively high viscosity have been used with dispensers employing gravity discharge. GenerallyY manipulation by one or both hands has been required, making for wasteful spillage and necessitating that the users hand or hands contact the dispenser. Consequently such prior dispensers become dirtied and contaminated in use, as byv a surgeon with his hands and arms messed to the elbow after an operation, or by amechanic leaving a greasing job. These objections are. overcome by the apparatus of our invention.

Referringr to the drawings in more detail, our novel dispenser .comprisesy a container or vessel l which may be generally cone or goblet shaped, as shown. and may be. relatively thin-walled to aiord a. liquid reservoir l, of maximum volume for the given size oi. vessel- 'Ihe latter may be fashionedV as by molding from anyV durable mate- (Cl. Z22-.209)

-rial impervious to the Vsoap or other fluid,y as

metal, glass or plastic. A removable cover or cap l2 seating on the container rim seals the reservoir, a lapping annular flange i3 desirably preventing sidewise displacement. l

At the front or dispensing side of thevessel il) an upper portion or" the wall is enlarged or thickened to form a nose Hi having a supportingaperture l for the discharged tube til to bereferred to. The cover i2 has a matching enlargement it@ recessed at the under face as at i6v to seat over the projecting end of a set screw Il in vertical line with the discharge tube. This screw serves both to hold the latter removably and adjustably and also-as an aligning stop for the cover, preventing turning of the latter inthe seated position. f

For wall mounting the vessel it is provided with integral or other lugs or bracket engaging mem'- bers I8 preferably at the side opposite the nose lll. Desirably these mounting lugs inclineV downwardly and toward each other for wedging rea ception by a conforming bracket i9. The latter may be fixed to a wail or other support any convenient manner, as by screws Ia; t

A fluid-pressure hydraulic .or pneumatic meterinel and eieotine assembly 20 incorporating a unit-volume measuring and dispensing chamber is mounted at the central bottom portion of the vessel. It comprises oppositely disposed upper and llower body members or .sections ,2i and 22 each including a cylinder k23, 24, a circumferenttial coupling flange 25, k26 .at the mating ends, and a reduced stem or neck 21,23 at the opposite ends. These two sections 2i' andi? are detachably fr together as by a series of bolts 251'. The cyline ders 23, 2t' are formed with aligned axiai'bhres 23a, 2da of calculated diameter terminating' wardly in oppositely daring central enlargements which together denne a cavity or main chamber 3c. The bore 23a ofthe lupper section 12,3 is steppedV at thel illnetnrewth the Cavity r0- to provide a downfacing seating recess 29. l v

Between and .held by the joining naneesof the body sections v21, 22` a flexible diaphragm', s", which may be of a resilient plastic or rubber-hte sheet material or other construction afordingfit. substantial capacity for deiiection transversely to itsrplane of support; This diaphragrriY 33 op: eratively divides the cavity 30 horizontally into an upper o r dispensing chamber 3| and` alower or actuating chamber. 32, while also .serving fas/a peripheral seal for the two of the unit.

The dispensing chamber al is cned from the body sections y2 L, I

aecasas i j reservoir Il through an inlet 35 in one of the anges, here shown in the lower flange 26, communicating through a small aperture 33a in the diaphragm 33 with a radial passage or groove 36 leading to the region of the recess 23 above mentioned. As indicated in Figs. l and 2, the passageway 3S is formed for minimal interruption of the under face of the upper flange 25, preventing lifting of diaphragm 33 in the vicinity of the inlet 35. The latter has an intermediate enlargement defining a valve chamber 3'! with an upwardly facing valve seat 33. A ball valve 39 is conned in the valve chamber 31, normally seating at the bottom thereof in the closed, chamber-sealing position as in Fig. l.

It will be seen that fluid from the: reservoir l l entering at the inlet 35 will ll the dispensing chamber 3| and other communicating space above the diaphragm 33. depressed toward or into contact with the bottom wall of the cavity 3i) by the liquid weight.

and'assisting spring means to be described; see Fig. l. A unit-volume service, metered-shot or unit-shot of the liquid is determined by the extent of upward displacement or" the diaphragm 33 in a dispensing operation. Outlet for the liquid is through a throttling orice and check valve at the top of the dispensing chamber 3l. There a valve plate l0 is xed in the recess 2S mentioned, having ak central outlet orice 4l within a surrounding depression 42; providing a seat for a second and downwardly closing ball valve 45. The latter is coniined in the cylinder bore or outlet valve chamber 23a or" the upper body section 2|. Thus upon upward displacement of the diaphragm 33 a proportionate quantity of the liquid in the dispensing chamber 3l above the diaphragm is forced upwardly through the outlet orifice 4l, opening the valve d5 thereat. At the same time the pressure attendant on displacement of the diaphragm 33 acts to press the inlet valve 39 more firmly against its seat 33. Serrations, ilutes or the like as at 23h, Fig. l, may be provided at the juncture of the cylinder and stem bores 23a, 21a, permitting fluid ow even though the ball valve 45 is thrust to the top of the valve chamber, such flutes or like passage-defining formations preventing closure of the chamber by the valve. Y

For positively regulating and variably controlling the unit service volume, metered-shot or unit-shot of the liquid to be dispensed, means is provided for accurately determining the extent of diaphragm displacement. For this purpose there is centrally mounted at the upper face of the diaphragm 33 a stop or stop element 50, herein a cup-shaped member, adapted to come into limiting abutment with an opposite Wall portion of the cavity 30, thereby dening the maximum displacement for the diaphragm 33. In the illustrated example the limiting engagement is had by the upturned flange portion 5| of the stop 5i! abutting the cavity top wall adjacent the outlet valve plate Llil. The stop 50 herein being of somewhat greater diameter than that of the recess 2S which holds the valve plate 40, the engagement accordingly is around the edge of that recess, as shown in Fig. 2.v

The volume-regulating stop 5t herein also serves -as the bottom seat for the diaphragm spring return means, shown as a coil spring 55 bearing at its opposite upper and against the outlet valve plate 40. By adjusting the height of the contact portion 5| of the stop 59 the unitshot, metered-shot or volume of liquiddispensed The latter is normally 4 at each actuation of the diaphragm may be acurately predetermined. For any given setting it will be uniform regardless of the force applied in displacing the diaphragm. For purposes of volume adjustment the stop 50 may be removably associated with the diaphragm for ready inter-exchange with dilerent heights of stop or the diaphragm and stop may be formed as a replaceable unit; in other instances the adjustment being had by bending the contact portion 5| of the stop up or down to the desired extent.

The described metering and ejecting assembly 20 is installed within and at the base of the reservoir Il, at a mounting aperture Ila: through which the threaded stem 28 of the lower body section 22 extends, with suitable interposed gasketing if desired. A seating shoulder 24h at the base of the lower cylinder 24 fits snugly against the reservoir wall at the mounting aperture ll. An outside lock nut 28a: turned up onto the projecting threaded stem 28 anchors the assembly in operative position.

The uid dispensed passes up through a reduced bore 27a in the stem 21 of the upper body section 2l, leading from the outlet valve chamber 31, and through an adjustable length of preferably flexible tubing 53 within the reservoir il. This tubing is tted at the lower end onto the nipple-like upper end of the stem 21 and at the upper end coupled tightly over the inner end of a rigid dispensing tube 3i! terminating outside the reservoir in a down-turned spout El. This dispensing tube and spout element Bil, 6I extends out through the bearing aperture I5 therefor in the vessel nose I4 where it is held with capacity for projective adjustment by the set screw Il earlier mentioned.

From the foregoing it will be understoodv that the metering dispenser of the invention is peculiarly adapted for fluid-pressure operation, which term is intended to include both hydraulic and pneumatic means, and likewise for operation from substantially any desired location, whether directly by an individual user operating a treadle or other manual control conveniently adjacent the dispenser, or otherwise from more or less remote locations. The invention accordingly comprises, in combination with the pressure-operableA dispenser device, means for applying actuating pressure to the diaphragm 33. For this purposeV we have herein in Figs. l and 4 illustrated a remote-controlled actuator means operatively associated with the dispenser, claims for which, as of general utility, are contained in another application.

Referring to Figs. l and 4 such remote-operable actuator means comprises a treadle or manually deformable pad-like compressible element '10. This is herein constructed as a resilientwalled bag or pouch shown as generally rectangular in plan, with a ilat supporting face or bottom 1l and somewhat rounding top or front face l2, in the normal filled condition. This hollow pad or force-receiving element 10 may be integrally molded or otherwise formed of any suitable flexible wall-forming material capable of supporting a uid seal and of a tough wearresistant character adapting it for example to be placed on the iioor for depressant operation by the users foot. Suitable materials may readily be selected such as various rubber and rubberous compositions and certain of the commercially available synthetic resins and molding compounds. The Vi-cot-eng-aged surface may :be fre# mforced'byribbing as at 72a, Fig. 4.

A relatively vrigid yblock or plate, 'i5 is integrally or otherwise secured and sealed in closing relation to an end-wall or mouthfof-theghollowpad '10, This block AI5 has cast or otherwise '-xed in it a connector nipple 'i3 providinga passage y'Vl communicating with-the-interior of-thepad, the nipple including an outer threaded attaching portion T3. @ne end of a plastic, copper or other flexible tubing 33 of any desired length is expanded over the free end 'i8 of the nipple r'i5 and secured to it by a surrounding threaded coupling sleeve 8| turned up onto the nipple. The other end of the tubing 83 is demountably installed at the projecting -lowertapered end of` the Vstern 23 of l-the lower body section-23 of vthe metering ejector-assemblyt. This tubing #80. is heldin -pressure-tight union with the stem 28 by' a threaded coupling sleeve .82 generally similar to that at the nipple i3 oi" the pad-10. `One or more holes '15a desirably are provided inthe pad block 'l5 for receiving screws or other anchor means '15b whereby the pad 'i3 maybe immobilized by attachment to the floor or other support at the point of operation.

It will be seen that the -pad 'l0 and the connecting tubing 8G together with the axial passage and cavity portion in the lower body section 22 below the diaphragm 33 constitute a normally closed `hydraulic system or cell adapted to contain a pressure-transmitting fluid medium such as a fluent oil, or it may be air. In the in stanceoi" air -as thehydraulic fluid or pressure medium it -is desirable-toprovide for automatic replenishment, in the event of some leakage under the application of pressure. Accordingly, as shown in Fig. 5, the nipple 'i6 may be provided in its exposed portion, illustrated as non-circular or hea-shape for gripping, with a. steppedy radial passage lf3 forminga chamber for a ball yor other inlet check valve 19a, normally urged by the actuator` pressure outward against a tubular seat 79h. The latter may be formed as a plug pressed into the outer end of the passage 'I9 after the ball is inserted. The upper end wall of the chamber 19 is nicked as at 79o to prevent the ball valve 73a from sealing thereat.

When appropriately lled with the pressure medium the system will transmit to the diaphragm 33 as a displacing force thereat whatever pressure is applied to the compressible pad Thus the operator by stepping on or otherwise deforming the pad 'i0 will impress on the hydraulic system a pressure which will be effective at the diaphragm 33 to oppose spring 55 and displace the diaphragm 33 upwardly in the cavity 30, moving it from the base of the actuating chamber 32 of the cavity toward or into the overlying dispensing chamber 3l thereof. Thus the cavity Volume above the diaphragm 33 is reduced by an amount determined and limited by the engagement of the stop 50 with the opposite wall. This displacement creates and denes a single dispensing charge or shot, of predetermined volume, referred to herein as a meteredshot or unit-shot. By reason of the limited uniform displacement available for the diaphragm 33 the volume of a single shot Will remain constant regardless4 of how long, short, strong, or weak the depressant force on the pad or foot-operated element may be, provided only that it is enough to overcome the static pressure of the relatively weak spring 55 land the liquid above the diaphragm. In other words, a

sudden impulse of pressure from itl-1e treadle, 'having a iixed time-pressurerelationship,fis not necessary to the functioningof the device.

Attendant upon a pressure shot, ball valve 33 is pressed iirmly against its seat, thus leavingy only the passage 23a .for escape of the detergent or other liquid. There the other valve 1215 is `unseated and permits the flow of one unit volume or metered shot to .the dispensing tube 33. On release of the pressure on the pad yactuator "i3 the spring 55 moves the.diaphragni back l-down in the cavity 33V toits normal depressed position'` therein, the resilient pad l@ at the Asame time. resuming its initial configuration, as in Fig. l. As noted, where a, low density huid, such as air, is used in the actuator system, minute leakage may occur particularly during the pressure stroke. resulting in gradual volume decrease in the treadle. This loss is compensated for by the admission of air past the check valve 79a, Fig. 5, which is unseated by the suck-in eiect at seat. 73a caused by pad 'iii in reverting to its normal. fully expanded position when relieved of pres-- .sure and following the -return of diaphragm 33.

As the volume of the upper or dispensing chamber 3l of the total cavity 3G is restored toI its original figure the attendant internal pres` sure drop in the cavity produces an action of.' inspiration, with a suck-in or draw-back effect at the spout iii as well. as at the cavity inlet 35.. There the ball valve 39 unseats to refillthe dispensing chamber 3| from the reservoir I'I, while the outlet andv sealing valve i5 seats to vretain a column of the liquid in the tubing connection and dispensing tube 53 53. This inspiration positively withdraws and retains the liquid with,- inthe spout 3l, preventing any drip thereat. The amount of fluid drawn bacl: into the tube B' may be determined, for a iluid Yoi given viscosity and density, by the selection of appropriate valve l5 and valve chamber 23a diameters, and valve density. it should be noted that our novel construction is self-,compensatingin that ,when uids of higher viscosity and greater tendencyv to after-drip are used, the valve is raised higher in the chamber, producing a greater inspiration effect. It will be realized that by reason of the coincident seating and unseating of the valves 39, 45 a rebalancing of pressures is had at the inlet and outlet passages 35, 4| of the metering and dispensing chamber 3l. The dispensing tube thus remains filled with the liquid, so long as a supply thereof remains in the reservoir Il above the level of the chamber inlet 35. Any subsequent compression of the pad I0 will consequently dispense at the spout 6| exactly the volume displaced from the dispensing chamber 3l. When the dispenser is first placed in use a few initial empty shots will pump the liquid through the dispensing chamber and to the tubing 59, 60 until the latter is lled.

As indicated in connection with the brief description of the several views of the drawings and elsewhere herein, the particular structure shown while representing a presently preferred embodiment is intended as exemplary of various equivalent constructions adaptable to the purposes of the invention and is susceptible of a substantial range of modication in such respects as the size, shape and other aspects of the iluid supply vessel, the construction and arrangement of the movable wall, shown as a diaphragm, which provides for corresponding volume expansion and reduction at the opposite sides thereof, the type of valves employed wheretergent and other fluids comprising a liquid reservoir of cup form closed at the bottom save for a relatively small valve-mounting and pressure- .admitting aperture and having a top closure, the :reservoir having a dispensing conduit from the .interior to an external discharge point, and a hydraulic, aspirating and shot-measuring pump unit bodily removably installed at the bottom aperture of the reservoir, said pump unit com- F prising a body having oppositely disposed upper and lower sections with lateral coupling flanges and dening between them a shot-measuring and ejection cavity and holding between them a cavity-dividing uid-sealing diaphragm, the lower body section having a shoulder for seating on the reservoir bottom wall around the aperture therein and having a reduced neck demountably secured in outwardly projecting position at the aperture and adapted for connection o with an hydraulic pressure-supplying conduit, spring means in said cavity above and normally depressing the diaphragm, the upper body section having an outlet bore extending from the cavity and connected with Vthe dispensing conduit, an inlet passage in the pump body communicating between the reservoir and the cavity portion which is above the diaphragm, and oppositely operating inlet and outlet valves in said inlet passage yand outlet bore respectively operable upon pressure application on the diaphragm to close off the cavity from the reservoir and to pass a measured shot of liquid to the dispensing 8 l conduit, the outlet valve being operable immediately on release of such pressure to effect a dripretaining inspiration at the discharge end of the dispensing conduit.

2. A metered shot liquid dispenser for liquid soap, detergents, and other liquids, comprising a reservoir for the liquid, a pressure-actuated ejector unit in the reservoir and containing interacting ejection and actuating chambers with a common movable wall separating them, the ejection chamber having an inlet for liquid from the reservoir and an outlet with a dispensing tube connected thereto, and automatic oppositely acting valves for the inlet and the outlet respectively, the outlet valve including a valve chamber and a valve member movable therein to and from closing position, said chamber and valve member constructed, proportioned and arranged to aord capacity for augmented movement of the valve member out of closing position providing a calculated period of inspiration during reverse closure thereof adequate to effect drip-preventing draw-back of the liquid at the free end of the dispensing tube, the extent of said inspiration being automatically self-adjusting as appropriate to the viscosity of the liquid by directly proportionate extent of valve movement.

3. A metered shot liquid dispenser according to claim 2 wherein the outlet valve chamber has passage-defining formations at the outlet preventing closure thereat by the valve under maximum augmented movement thereof from closing position.

EDWARD J. POITRAS. JOHN F. TAPLIN.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,311,624 Bobrick Feb. 23, 1943 2,456,958 Kretschmer et al. Dec. 21, 1948 2,579,909 Dieienbach Dec. 25, 1951 2,628,744 Mowbray Feb. 17, 1953 

